News, views and links about user experience, information architecture and all things Web.

Saturday, January 29, 2005

What is UXCentric?

UXCentricity is the heartbeat of my vocational journey.

When cutting my teeth in retail, I was passionate about making my customers' purchase experiences the best they could be.

When teaching small business operation as a stand-up trainer, I worked to make my students' learning experience as valuable as what they learned.

As an instructional designer, I tried to make the virtual environment of our cutting-edge multimedia training programs an enjoyable experience for learners.

And now as an information architect and interaction designer, I'm consumed with creating Web sites that provide unique experiences that enhance the achievement of user goals (and thus my Client's objectives).

That's the background. The real story of UXCentric began during the hectic dot-com craze. Hired as an IA by iXL (a now long defunct Web consultancy), I had leaped from CD-ROM to the Web. Don't tell my former boss, but I was in over my head. And in those days, good books on IA-related topics were few and far between. Our library had Rosenfeld and Morville, Nielsen, Beyer and Holtzblatt and a few others—but IA was developing at such a rapid clip I needed much more.

So I turned to the Web, ceaselessly searching for articles, resources, links, tutorials, books, anything that would plug the gaps in my knowledge. I signed up for every newsletter that sounded remotely helpful. I filled my "Info Arch" Favorites folder with scores of links. I converted anything of value into a PDF/Acrobat file and stored it on my hard drive.

Soon enough, my coworkers discovered my stash and asked me to e-mail copies of whatever new stuff I found. That was the birth of the Dave's Research mailing list. And when iXL imploded like almost every other consultancy, I just kept up the habit, e-mailing PDFs on IA, usability, user experience, interaction design and related subjects to anyone who was interested. (It continues today; see "UXCentric Library" in the sidebar.)

In the years since, the availability of cyber and real world resources on user experience has grown from bread-and-water rations to a king's feast. Now the difficulty isn't finding the resources; it's finding the best and most helpful.

That's what UXCentric is all about. Every day or so, I'll post links to the latest UX content I've found on the Web, often with brief commentary. From time to time I'll post reviews of books, software, and DVDs—whatever I can find. I'll wax eloquent in occasional editorials. I may even include tutorials of favorite techniques. If it's about IA, user experience, usability, branding, interaction design and all things Web, I'll put it here.

And since the Web isn't a web without connections, I warmly invite comments and discussions to every post. If you've found a great link, would like to share a review or have any ideas for UXCentric, .

Thanks for reading UXCentric. I'll do my best to make it a great experience for you!

Yes, I'm an Amazon Associate and receive a small amount for each book actually ordered through links from this site. In 2005, I earned less than $25. However, I would still link to Amazon (and did) without compensation because it is the single best source on the Web for book information.